Literally invalidWe sit for hoursThe day passesDaily purposes -He phones his wifeShe mixes cake -Cannot be yoursA small, dumb placeLacking contextWhite with a blind contradiction of connectionThe sitting roomHums with boredomA crippled euphemistic kingdomOf pills or "medication"Meals cooked and crockery washed"Neighbours": drama mimics lifeHas Max left Steph?Is Skye expecting?A concept forms unbidden:This is what "care" means Talk to me!It doesn't matter what you say -What are the children doing?Have they opened the new Arcade?How did Hillary Clinton do in the primaries?Is Tescos cheaper than Waitrose?I will wear a pair of reliable shoes to the weddingLet's play charadesI will finish the crossword, then play chessWill you come with me to Bravissimo?Do you remember The Rolling Stones at Knebworth?Did you prefer Paul McCartney or John Lennon?I will tell you off-by-heart my favourite poem;I haven't always been a lemon.The doctor's care ends this nightmare.

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Declaration

This is my original unpublished piece, not submitted for publication elsewhere.

About the Author

Sreedhar Krishna is a fifth year medical student at Imperial College, London. In between writing books, he manages to play competitive basketball for Imperial College and University of London, and coaches youth basketball at the grassroots level. He aspires to become a dermatologist.